GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Wisconsin marked Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Monday, October 13, honoring Native Nations whose history and culture continue to shape the state, including right here in Brown County.
The state officially recognized the day in 2019, when Governor Tony Evers signed an executive order replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day to celebrate the sovereignty, resilience and contributions of Wisconsin’s Native communities.
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According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, the Green Bay region has been home to Indigenous peoples for more than 10,000 years, including the Menominee and Ho-Chunk Nations. The Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, whose reservation covers part of Brown and Outagamie counties, was establishes here through an 1838 treaty after the Oneida were displaced from their homelands in New York.
Census data complied by Neilsberg shows Green Bay has about 7,050 Native residents, or 5.87% of the city’s population, while nearby Hobart, where much of the Oneida Nation’s land lies, has nearly 10% Native representation.
The Oneida Nation hosted its own celebration Monday at the Norbert Hill Center on the Oneida Reservation. According to a press release, the day began with a sacred tobacco thanksgiving ceremony, followed by opening remarks and the reading of a resolution recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Students from the Oneida Nation High School performed an Oneida song honoring their language, culture, and traditions, and a collection of books about the Oneida Nation was presented to the school…